A Father's Dream Realized
by Animechick47
Summary: It's time for the youngest Pradesh to fall in love, but is he ready? Is his family? Here are the first 2 chapters This story will updated on A03 more than her for the time being. I will be posting here but less frequently. Link is below. Thank you all for you support. A03 info Username: TheOneThatDreams Link: /users/TheOneThatDreams/works
1. Reflection

The family was sitting around the living room as a storm raged outside. It was a beautiful sight to see. The Grass Sea churning, waves reaching 20 or more feet high and crashing back into itself. The wind was blowing the sweet smell of the ocean in and making the trees sway, looking for all the world like they could be picked up at any moment and thrown, tossed this way and that without a care. The might of nature was amazing to watch.

Arman sat on the sofa, a soft smile on his face as he looked up from the book he had been reading to regard his family. He smiled looking at those that were once friends but now he considered his family as well. Laxus, Freed and Evergreen of the Thunder Legion and Lucy, the light of Fairy Tail. Now she was the light of his family and he was hoping the Light of White Sea, if he had any say in it. He had multiple plans of how to get her to extend her visit and make this trip a permanent stay. Arman also knew which of his sons he wanted the blonde Celestial mage for. He would never meddle in his children's lives but he could nudge them every now and then if he felt it was needed and they all needed to get it together and start giving him grandchildren to spoil!

He was pushing for Kaleb to ask Lucy out, he knew they would be perfect for each other. He just knew it and he wanted grandchildren. Then again Bickslow had known her for years and Lucy had told him that he hated it when Bickslow wore his mask when they were in Fiore. Bickslow and Lucy would also be perfect together. Arman was worse than Mira when it came to matchmaking and Bickslow had made a point of warning his brothers and sisters that under no circumstance were Arman and Mira to be anywhere near each other. It would more than likely be the end of the world if it did happen. Bickslow was convinced that both being on Earthland was fueling the craziness of the baby obsession they had.

Zen, Vander and Cristoff were playing chess. Arman was sure Vander was trying to cheat using his shadows, but he was being watched carefully and Zen had no problem using his archangel abilities where no one could lie to him to make sure he that Vander didn't. Bickslow, Emzadi and Laxus were all arguing about the afternoon spar they had. There had been no clear winner since Lucy had interrupted since she had wanted to go shopping and had Virgo tie the three up and Taurus grabbed Emi and carried her out after the blonde as she shouted about a shopping trip. Evergreen and Xally waiting at the door for them. Arman wished he could have seen it in person, but Kaleb shared the memory with everyone. Freed and Xally were discussing books and comparing notes. They were making plans to go book hunting the next day. Arman was considering them as a couple. He was not sure about the obsession that Freed had with Laxus, it was entertaining but Arman was not sure if Freed would be able to handle Xally truthfully. Freed had been blushing most of the night over something or other that she had said to him. Arman was extremely proud of them all.


	2. Hurry!

Arman smiled as he looked on at his family. He could not be prouder of them. They all had their own strengths.

"Just face it, you can't win against us not without cheating and with Zen that's impossible". Kaleb said to Vander. He had his shields firmly in place so Kaleb could not read him, but he didn't need to, Vander was not good at chess when he was up against Zen and Cristoff and he had not chance in hell of beating him. Vander was just being stubborn at this point.

"I can beat you anytime I want in anything, I just don't feel like embarrassing you in front of everyone" Vander said as he reclined against the back of the sofa. He would never admit that Kaleb was right. He knew he could not beat them but that didn't mean he wouldn't give it his all or be the first one out.

"Yeah right, you couldn't win to save your life shadows stalker" Zen stated as he moved to Checkmate Vander. "My point exactly" he said as he leaned back a smirk on his face. Vander smirked right back at him, "if I had really wanted to win then I would have" he said. Everyone just shook their heads at him. The only one that had ever beaten Zen and Kaleb was Arman, something that got under Freed's skin to no end.

"Well as much fun as this has been, I'm…Vander trailed off as his communication lacrima went off. It was a tone they had not heard before. They looked on as Vander stilled for half a second and then scrambled to get his com out of his pocket. He was tense and as they looked on, he looked madder than they had ever seen him.

"Where the Hell are you?" Vander snarled into his com.

"Missed you too Van". A female voice said from the com. The way that Vander was holding the com, they could not see the persons face but the voice was definitely female.

"Where?!" Vander snarled again. He looked half-crazy and ready to kill. Kaleb and Cobra were both getting overwhelmed from everything that was coming from him. The moment that the com rang Vander's barriers around his mind just crashed, all of them, at once. That was something that had never happened. Of everyone, no one had more control than Vander did, with his magic he had to have absolute control, but it seemed that his control had slipped and they could not figure out why other than it had to do with the woman that was calling. Kaleb opened the link between the family to try to help and keep himself and Cobra from getting nosebleeds or blacking out from the sheer amount of thoughts, memoires and emotions that encompassed Vander at the moment.

"…I'm…safe". She said after a long moment. The voice seemed off to them though. "Tell me where you are, I'm coming to get you. Vander said, his voice harsh. "You can't…Vander please don't. I'm fine, I'll be back soon". "The Hell I am. Either tell me where you are, or I'll just track you down". Vander had already started to do just that, now he would have a better idea of where to look.

"What happened to the tracker I gave you? Why is it off"? That did worry him though. No one could tamper with it and there was an enchantment on it so that only the two of them could remove it and he would know if someone tried to remove it, which meant it had been turned off. "Where are you Nya?"

"I'm…at a safe house, on the border of Enca. I just wanted to let you now I'm ok and not to worry, I'm just running…late getting…back is all." No one was convinced at all by what she said, least of all Vander. "I'm coming for you no matter what, I'll level all of Enca if I have to, but I will come. Damn it". Ok so he was ready and willing to kill to find whoever it was that he was talking to. "I can't risk you Van please just this once listen to me". She pleaded.

Vander stared at the screen for a long while clearly debating with himself. He knew she could handle herself; he had personally trained her in hand-to-hand combat and weapons and only he knew she could keep up with him in acrobatics since he trained her in that as well. But she had been gone for more than three months, a month of which there had been no contact she just went dark suddenly. He trusted her to handle things on her own if she said she could, just like he would trust his sisters or Lucy or Evergreen, but he was just as worried if not more so.

As he was getting ready to tell her that he would do as she asked, Nya lifted her hand and he saw the blood that was on her hand and that had been running down the side of her face. The more he looked at her with wide eyes, the more injuries he could see, he didn't notice at first since he was just glad to hear from her and pissed that she went dark but now he saw them. Nya's left eye was swollen shut and that side of her face was caked with dried blood and there was fresh blood running down her face as well. Her jaw looked like it was either broken or severely bruised, it was a wonder that she could even talk. There was bloody bandage over a gash in her neck with more injuries that he could not see Vander was sure.

"Your hurt! What happened?!" Vander was standing as he shouted into the com. "Tell me where you are so I can get Cristoff to you. Oh God!" Vander was now hysterical. "I…I'm fine Vander". "The Hell you are! "NYA, where the Hell are you, tell me right fucking now Goddamnit".

"I…I'm…in Enca". Vander glared at Nya as she hesitated to tell him. "Do you remember that house I asked you to help me to turn it into a safe house? I'm…there…it's my families old home. Nya said haltingly. "Van…Vander h-hurry. I-I need you, please hurry. The com went dead.

"Fuck!" Vander shouted. He whirled around, "Cris…". Cristoff was already standing ready to go. "Take a deep breath and think clearly of where we are going so Kaleb can let me know.

Vander took in several deep breathes and pictured to house clearly, pushing the images to Kaleb who took them and shared them with everyone not just Cris. A moment later they were gone. "We need to get ready for when they return" Arman said as he moved to let Mrs. Elan know to prepare a guest room, though he highly doubted it would be used from Vander's reaction, the young woman, Nya would be very closely watched by his youngest.

It took Cristoff four big jumps to get to the house in Enca. He pushed himself to his limits to do it in four, but he had never seen Vander in such a state. Cris knew he had to have magic power left over when they got there to heal the woman his brother was talking to. Nya, he had not heard Vander mention her before and wondered about who she was and what she was to Vander.

They landed in a small yard outside a small house. Cris leaned against the fence and watched as Vander's magic flared and blue runes became visible for a second before Vander was rushing to the front door to kick it in and running inside. Cris run in not two seconds after Vander kicked the front door in, running faster as he heard Vander cry out from a room at the very end of a surprisingly long hallway. As Cristoff got to the door he froze. Vander was on the floor holding a woman that was covered in blood, crying.

"Cris save her please" Vander begged as he glanced up. Cristoff stood froze for another second as he looked at the broken look in his little brothers' eyes.

"I'll save her Vander no matter what, I'll save her". Cris dropped in his knees next to them, channeling his magic to his hands and pushing all he had into saving the woman in his brother's arms. He knew, he just knew from that one look Vander had given him that if she died, then Vander died with her. He would not let that happen. As Cristoff set to work on healing the major life threating injuries, another set of hands was placed on top of his. As he looked up, two more sets of hands came into view. Cristoff meet Zen's eyes, both nodding as they poured more power into their hands. Zen, being guided by Cristoff at first then moving to heal other injuries as Xally did the same, as well as one of Lucy's newer spirts Nick the Phoenix. The rest of the family gathered around in support.


	3. Questions

I do not own Fairy Tail or Desna's Pradesh Family.

Dedicated to free2dream

"Does anyone know who she is or who she is to Vander"? Bickslow asked quietly as they sat in the large living room.

Cris, Xally and Zen were in the master bedroom with Vander. Vander refused to let her go even after they had healed most of the major damage that she had sustained. Nick the Phoenix had learned the hard way that Vander was not going to let her go after he tried to turn her so that he could heal the injuries that were on her back.

Vander's shadows had lashed out much like Zen's wings would if he was attacked, it had been enough to send Nick back to the spirit realm. Lucy could not find it in herself to be mad with Vander about it, where normally she would have Lucy Kicked him, but she could see the pain in his eyes, he looked lost something that Lucy did not think that she would ever see come from Vander.

It was quiet for a while as they all thought back on their conversations with Vander, but no one could remember ever having heard her name before. They knew that Vander slept around more than any of them but he didn't really talk about the people he slept with so they were very confused.

"I've never seen such a reaction from him, not even when Xally or Emi have been hurt" Cristoff said as he came into the living room followed by Zen and Xally. "Neither have any of us, she must be someone special though but why has he never said anything about her"? Bickslow asked.

"Maybe because dad would have him Promised, planning the wedding and naming the first 10 grandchildren within an hour of him introducing her" Farron said with a huge smile and amusement in his eyes as he looked at Arman.

"Yes, well I would wait more than an hour before having them sign Promise papers thank you very much!" Arman was not ashamed to say that he had Promise papers for all his children ready and waiting for them when they all got their acts together. However, he would not pressure them and would give them all time (even if he really didn't want to) they needed.

"Besides, what has me worried is that Vander lost control of his mental blocks. How close was he to losing control of his magic? I'm sure he very nearly lost that control when he and Cristoff arrived to find her at deaths door, which without everyone's help and she had died? I fear he would have happened had she died before help reached her or in his arms". Arman said with a shake of his head and fear in this eyes.

It seemed unthinkable that Vander of all of them could lose control. No one had better control over their magic than Vander. He had to because of the nature of his magic. Being a Shadowquip was very taxing on him and demanded that he stay in full control no matter what was happening around him.

Aside from when he was a boy and had not mastered that control, Kaleb and Bickslow were the best at settling him and helping him to master his magic. Having seen them in clan wars and the toll that can take on a person, seeing Vander hold himself together when everything around him was literally on fire and there was nothing but destroying, with everyone one else falling apart around him, Vander had held together and in doing so held others together.

But now, Arman glanced back toward the hallway that lead to the Master bedroom where Vander was keeping vigil on a woman Nya, that they knew nothing about. He could only pray that his youngest could find that inner strength again and come back to them. Arman turned back to look at Lucy. She was a light that all felt compelled to seek out whether they wanted to or not. Maybe, just maybe she could be that guiding light for both Vander and Nya.


	4. Exploration

Chapter 4-Exploration

Lucy looked into the room where Vander was, he sat in a chair beside the bed that held Nya, his head resting on the bed beside her while he held her hand. Vander had his eyes closed but Lucy doubted that he was asleep. They had been at the little house in Enca for a week now and there had been no change other than all of the injuries that she had were now fully healed.

Cristoff had put Nya into a deep sleep to help her heal, one that she would wake from when she was ready. Kaleb had taken a quick look into her mind before Cristoff put her to sleep, checking to making sure that there was no damage as far as lost memory or time lapse. He noted that there was a battle but did not stay long enough to investigate it, he would be there to help with any issues that arose when Vander demanded to know what exactly happened. Bickslow had looked at her soul to make sure that nothing nasty had gotten in and taken root but nothing so far, though he was keeping an eye out.

No one really knew what to do at the moment. Virgo had come out to clean up the blood and had been keeping the kitchen stocked for them. Zen had flown around to scout things out, finding that there was a barrier around a good portion of the forest that they seemed to be in.

Zen had gotten trapped outside the barrier for more than a day before Freed was able to rewrite the runes enough to allow him to pass through. Freed was very impressed with the rune work. It had fought him the entire time that he had been trying to rewrite it. Then the fact that it took nearly two days for him to change it, as well as after Zen was back behind the barrier it had flared a very bright red and black for several seconds, then when the light had faded the runes had returned to what they had been before Freed changed them to allow Zen to pass through.

Freed had never heard of anything of the like happening, he doubted even Lahar's Jutsu Shiki could do that. It was like the magic was alive and Freed got the feeling that the barrier could sense the breech in its defenses and that it would not harm those inside but that could not be could it?

The runes themselves were complex and layered expertly. They have a different feel to them than any rune he had ever encountered and as he was finding out things were not as they seemed, but he did know that he did not want to be someone that tried to pass the barrier, that would result in a painful and more than likely slow death.

Xally, Emzadi, Farron and Laxus had explored the house and found that although it seemed small it was far from it. It had taken all of them about an hour to work out the complex lock on the door in what they were calling "the basement", though it was the second level of the house, it was underground which they were completely confused over. Everyone wanted to know what was going on and why such measures needed to be taken. They remembered that Nya had said that Vander had helped her to turn the house into a safe house but why? And why in the hell did it need such an advanced security and monitoring system?

The room they had found was massive. It was stainless steel all around, Gajeel would find it an all you can eat buffet if he was there. There were lacrima monitors that covered the wall facing them from the door. To the left of the monitors was a wall that was covered with a huge map that encompassed Earthland. There were places on the map that even Arman had not heard of before, some even in Ishgar, which was very surprising, but if Arman had not heard of those places then how had this woman and Vander?

They had the sense that the room was bigger than they thought, it seemed to encompass the house and stretch past the bounds of the house. There had to be more to it but so far, they had not found any way to get to any other part of the room or rooms that maybe beyond it.

Freed and Bickslow had searched the other rooms in the house. Other than the living room, kitchen and main bedroom and whatever the basement thing was, there were four more rooms. Each had its own bathroom and were bigger inside than one would expect. If that wasn't enough the closets were huge and the girls were seriously thinking of moving in.

Arman was thinking on who Nya was. He did not want to go through the Embassy or his contacts until he had more information, it was obvious that she was in danger and he would not put Vander or the rest of his family in danger, but he did want to help.


	5. Finding Hope

Chapter 5-Finding Hope

Lucy had been asked to keep an eye on Vander. They all felt that if anyone could help to keep him grounded and hope to have him come out of this, it would be Lucy. Lucy has a light that surrounds her that draws all to her, it can purify and heal and there was nothing stronger to combat darkness with than such pure light.

Lucy sat down beside Vander after pulling a chair up. She just watched him for a few minutes. Vander didn't acknowledge or make any indication that he noticed that anyone was in the room with him. After about five minutes of just watching him, Lucy placed her hand on his back gently. When he didn't flinch away or his shadows try to attack her, Lucy started to rub his back in a smoothing circular motion.

She had been rubbing Vander's back for almost 30 minutes when he looked up and to the side at her. "Hey Lucy" Vander said, his voice barely above a whisper and hoarse from lack of use. "Hey Vander. How are you doing? How can I help? Lucy asked even as she reached for a glass of water that she had brought in with her. "take small sips you haven't eaten anything in a week so your stomach will be weak".

"I'm…ok…I think? I don't know?" Vander said in a small voice that about broke Lucy's heart. "Your both going to be fine Vander, you will get through this and everyone is here to help". Lucy slowly wrapped her arms around Vander and gave him, in her opinion, a much-needed hug.

"So, it's been a week and all her injuries are healed even some old ones, you know how Cris is, there was no way he would let any injury remain". Lucy smiled at Vander.

"Everyone is still here and just so you know we explored the house and what the hell is up with this place Vander? Its built like a high-tech fortress and is it bigger than it seems? We know it's bigger but can't find any other hidden doors to confirm?"

Lucy was seriously about to lose her mind if she didn't know. Vander gave a small smile that did not reach his eyes, but it was a smile none the less.

"Yea its bigger than you think. Did you find the door to the basement? There is a hidden panel behind the monitors that leads to the rest of the place. That room is actually on the fourth floor and really is the basement, Nya placed an enchantment on the house, so it looks smaller." Once Vander started to talk, it seemed he couldn't stop, needed something else to focus on other than the guilt, anger, despair and hopelessness that he felt as she looked at Nya.

It was entirely his fault that she had been at deaths door. He KNEW he should have dropped everything and gone looking for her the moment she went dark but he had been on a mission for Kaleb that only he could do, but she needed him and he wasn't there, he almost lost her and if it wasn't for Cris, Zen, Xally and Nick, he really would have lost her.

"I'm sorry Starshine…" Vander began but Lucy stopped him. "There is nothing to be sorry for Van".

Vander turned back to look at Nya. All he could see was the blood that had covered her when he got to the house. He knew she had been cleaned up, Cris damn near had to put him to sleep so that they could get her cleaned up as dangerous as that was.

Arman and Farron had held him back as Emi and Lucy had taken the tattered clothes from her and placed her in the bath. Only when she had been lowered into the water did his father and brother let him go so that he could hold her while Xally bathed her.

"Talk to me Van, let me help you". Lucy could see that he was struggling with himself and she knew from personal experience that holding it all in would not help.

"I don't know how to help her" Vander said as he started to cry.

Arman came to kneel on Vander's other side, placing a gentle hand on his. "Talk to her Vander, let her know you're here and waiting for her".

Vander looked up at his father, a man with so much strength and love. "I don't know what to say". "What does your heart say?" Arman replied.

Vander looked at Nya.

"_When I'm lost, in the rain, in your eyes  
I know I'll find the light to light my way._

_When I'm scared, losing ground, when my world is going crazy,  
You can turn it all around yes_

_And when I'm down you're there pushing me to the top.  
You're always there givin' me all you've got._

Vander didn't realize at first what song he had started to sing, or that he had started to sing but it felt right and so he did as his father said and just went with what was in his heart.

_For a shield from the storm, for a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm, I turn to you.  
For the strength to be strong, for the will to carry on,  
For everything you do for everything that's true I turn to you, yes._

_When I lose the will to win, I just reach for you and I can reach the sky again.  
I can do anything, 'cause your love is so amazing,  
Cause your love inspires me. And when I need a friend you're always on my side,  
Givin' me faith to get me through the night._

He smiled a little, Nya was definitely a shield. Vander remembered finding her singing this song one day a few weeks after they meet. She had been closed off and he knew there was something eating away at her.

_For a shield (for a shield)  
From the storm (from the storm)  
For a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm.  
I turn to you. (I turn to you)  
For the strength (for the strength)  
To be strong for the will to carry on.  
For everything you do I turn to you.  
(oh yeah oh)_

_For the arms to be my shelter through all the rain.  
For truth that will never change.  
For someone to lean on._

_For a heart I can rely on through anything.  
For the one who I can run to  
Oh yeah  
(so do you oh yeah)_

He had considered having Bix come and take a look at her, he felt that she may have a nasty parasite feeding off her soul and Bix could remove it, but he had held back.

_For a shield from the storm, for a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm  
(to keep me safe and warm, yeah)  
I turn to you (I turn to you)  
For the strength (for the strength yea)  
To be strong, for the will to carry on.  
For everything you do (everything you do)  
For everything that's true  
For everything you do  
For everything that's true  
I turn to you"_

It had taken him two months to get her to open up to him. It happened after a spar of all times.


	6. Flashback-The First Meeting

Chapter 6-Flashback-The First Meeting

It had been a few months since he found her during a mission. He had to stop and stare at the young woman that had a gaping hole in her side but was still moving around the room kicking dark mage asses. It had made his mission easier since there seemed to be an overlap in the job that he had been given by the Steel Counsel, (which he had to look into) but it had still entertained him to no end to watch, though he had to join in on the fun and kick some ass himself. Getting her to let him help treat her wounds had been highly amusing as well.

Offering to help had seen a dagger flying at his groin as she went for a roundhouse kick to his head. Vander chuckled as he remembered how pissed she had been when he had vanished just before her foot would have connected with his face, only to reappear leaning against the fall wall of the room, spinning the dagger.

"Hello to you as well gorgeous, wanna get out of here and have some fun?"

"Go to Hell pretty boy!", she snarled as she glared at him.

"Haha now why would I want to do that? I hear its way to hot down there! What's your name sugar? I'm Vander".

"Really? Your flirting at a time like this? Wow" she said rolling her eyes at him. Vander just shrugged and smirked at her.

"Where did you come from anyway? Why are you here?" The woman asked.

"No fair, I asked you first" Vander pouted then grinned as he wiggles his eyebrows, "Ladies first I always say, and I aim to please."

"Came through the rear door on the West side of the building, took a peek into the security room and disabled any cameras I found along the way. Watched you kick dark mage ass from the doorway, contemplated life and all that" Vander stated as he continued to lean against the wall.

"Got the mission from the Steel Counsel in Bosco, there should not have be an overlap on any job they give, gonna have to look into that one. Now sugar, what about you?". Vander very much wanted to know why there was someone else there. It was an infiltration and reconnaissance mission after all.

The woman stared at Vander for a little while before she answered, hesitantly.

"My name is Nya and I was following a rumor I heard. It would seem that it was partly true.

Vander raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for her to continue.

"An orphanage that I volunteer at was attacked a few weeks ago and the children were taken to be sold. I have been tracking them down. I heard a rumor that some new slaves were to be auctioned off here, so I came to investigate and rescue them if they were here. But they had already been sold by the time I got here, so I took my frustration out on these bastards".

"Well damn. I didn't know there was a human trafficking ring mixed in. It's your lucky day sugar, I'm gonna help you get those kids back and more ass for you to kick. Sound good?" Vander was now interested.

Recon missions could be boring especially without Presca with him, but this had just taken a turn for the better. There was no way that he would let children suffer for longer than they had to as he tracked them down and with a beautiful woman by his side that could kick ass, oh yea he was so very ready.

"Let's get started sugar"

"My name is Nya use it pretty boy". Nya snapped at Vander.

"Sure, I can't wait to hear you screaming mine" Vander wiggled his eyebrows again as he strode toward forward.

"You are going to be unbearable" Nya shook her head, but she was not about to turn down help.

Vander was definitely a help. Not only did they find the children and make those that had hurt them pay. Vander helped to track down those that had ordered the attack on the orphanage, he also helped to rebuild the destroyed orphanage and those that were mages put into White Sea for schooling. He checked in on them regularly as well. Nya realized that he was not just a playboy but had a soft side and a big heart under the tough guy, jokester, playboy personality.

A few months later, she learned just how big his heart was.


	7. Flashback-Becoming Friends

Chapter 7-Flashback-Becoming Friends

Vander looked up at Lucy and Arman surprised after the song ended. Vander had gotten into the bed beside Nya as he sang and held her closer without thinking. Arman had taken his place in the chair by the bed.

The rest of the family had come in as he sang, very happy to hear him singing, knowing that he was still with them. They all smiled at Lucy as they came in, knowing that it was her light that had acted like a beacon, something for Vander to latch onto and follow back to them, even if she didn't think so.

Cristoff lightly touched Nya's forehead, letting his magic flow over her.

"She's doing good Van". Cristoff said as he settled in the bed on the other side of Nya. Kaleb lay down behind Cristoff and reached over to lightly touch Nya on the forehead as well and Bickslow laid down behind Vander, his eyes glowing softly.

"Her mind is strong, still jumbled but resting better after you sang to her. I think she will be waking up soon, especially if you keep singing and talking to her" Kaleb said.

"Yea her soul looks pretty good, its damaged but it's also mending, no nasty parasites in sight lil bro" Bickslow said.

Arman smiled at the boys as they lay surrounding Vander and Nya. They were still his Holy Trinity.

They had been the biggest help to Vander as he grew up and fought for control of his magic. Cristoff to heal any physical damage from thrashing and fighting in his sleep, Bickslow to heal the damage done to his soul as the beings in the void tried to lure and sway him to let them take over his body and Kaleb was there to heal his mind and keep him from going insane from the things they whispered to him. The Immaculate Light that flowed so strongly through Kaleb and made his soul a blinding white also helped to keep the shades and void demons from overwhelming Vander.

Vander, as Bickslow told him often, had a near blinding silver soul that kept the void beings at a distance, he just had to get control and they would not be able to touch him.

Emzadi sat at the foot of the bed with Evergreen beside her, Xally culled up in Arman's lap. Laxus picked Lucy up and sat in the chair with her held close to him where she curled up in his lap. Freed pulled a chair up for himself and Zen so that they could sit on the other side of the bed and Farron and Presca pulled up chairs beside Laxus.

"Tell us more about how you met" Farron prompted. Vander nodded, he smiled, thinking back on the spar they had where they had really become friends. It made him laugh thinking about it.

***Flashback***

"You're getting better, moving faster and gaining more strength. Flexibility was great before this but there is always room for improvement. How are you liking the Warehouse? Second best damn purchase I ever made" Vander said as the two mages took a break. They had just finished doing 20 sets of 10 reps of weights and a run of the obstacle course. He wasn't even close to winded yet, but he had been running this course for years.

Vander looked around the room at all the equipment that was there, thinking it was time to add a few more balance beams, suspended hoops and maybe another trampoline. He was very proud of the fact that he had developed the best training program for shadow and requip mages in White Sea and Kaleb used his program to help rank the mages of White Sea.

He had a group of White Sea mages coming in the morning to test for an increase in rank. So far not many had been able to walk out once the music finished playing and earn a higher rank, but they all found where they were weak and were training to overcome those weaknesses.

_Let's hope that works for you as well Nya_, Vander thought.

Vander was glad that he had convinced Nya to come to Bosco with him, even more so that he had been able to talk her into training with him at the Warehouse. He could see there was a lot of potential in her and she just needed some guidance.

He was very happy to be that guide for her.

Vander felt drawn to her and he could not figure out what it was that drew him. He didn't feel the need to seduce and sleep with her, which was surprising. He would not mind at all falling into bed with her but that was all he felt about it, that it would be a great release.

_Well anything is possible so me finding someone that I don't want to sleep with was bound to happen on day. _Vander thought with a laugh.

He looked over at her. Nya was beautiful, there was no doubt of that, with pure silver hair that reached to the top of her ass, there were dark blue highlights in it that glowed when the light hit them just right. She was as tall as Emzadi at 6 feet tall with tan skin that was more of a rich caramel color. Her eyes were an icy blue color that Vander found fascinating. You would think that with such a seemingly harsh color that her eyes would be cold and hard, but they were not.

He had only seen her smile a few times since they had meet four months ago but when she did, they lit up and shone brightly. As it was, Vander could only see sadness and heartache reflected in them and it made him want to replace those negative emotions with nothing but positive ones.

There was something that she was not telling him, and he meant to change that. He had helped her to rescue some children from an orphanage two months before but there was sadness in her eyes that was not caused by kidnapped children, especially when those children had been rescued and were doing well now.

Whatever it was, trying to bury it and letting it fester would only hurt and would open her up to dark influences and could lead to becoming a dark mage. Being one that walked hand-in-hand with darkness, he knew all too well how it could corrupt a person, with mages getting the worst of it.

If it was not for the support and love of his family, Vander knew he would have succumbed to the darkness years ago and had to be killed. They fought to save him and if he ever felt that he was slipping, all he had to do was tap into the family link and help would be there almost instantly, no matter what anyone was doing. That was how the family worked.

_If I can't get through to her soon, I'll take her home to dad. I bet between dad being well…being dad and him bringing her into the family and sharing his strength and love with her and some great food provide by Mr. Elan, she will feel safe enough to open up. _Vander thought.

_Just gotta make sure dad doesn't try to get us to Promise. I can't wait for Cris or Emi to find their mates. That would distract him long enough to give everyone else some breathing room. They would all fall in love and give him lots of grandchildren to spoil in time he just had to wait. Besides, he did not feel anything but protective of Nya, though what he felt was not like she was another sister to him either, he was confused on that front. _Vander signed_. _

_If she won't come home with me, I can always take her to Fiore on a visit to Bix. The moment she walks into Fairy Tail, Lucy would be all over helping her. Actually, that would be the better option and it would keep dad from daydreaming about what our children would look like, though any child I have will be fucking bad ass. _

"Ok ready to get back to it? You've grown a lot in the last month, lets test that out. If you can last until the end, I'll let you scrub my back!". Vander couldn't help it. It was funny to see her reactions to things he said. It didn't even have to be anything sexual, though those got the best reactions, Nya overreacted to nearly everything he said.

"Bite me Vander" Nya said as she stuck her middle finger up at him as she threw another dagger and poison dart at his groin.

"Damn it, woman that almost hit me. Shit maybe increased speed was not something we should have worked on".

"Shut up and start the music I accept your challenge".

"That was not a challenge Sugar, but we can make this into one if you really think that you are ready to challenge me" Vander was amused. Nya had improved but she was not close to being able to really keep up with him, especially at the Warehouse.

"You need to be brought down a few notches and I am just the person to it". Nya was feeling confident in her new skills and was ready to move on to more challenging workouts and knew that would not happen unless she could best Vander or keep up with one of his more advanced playlists.

"Think you're ready for the next level, do you?" Vander had a feeling that this would be coming but he thought it wouldn't be for a few more weeks.

"Tell you what, if you can last until the end of the next playlist then it will prove that you are ready to move to the advanced level and I'll make you some wicked new blades".

Nya's eyes lit up when Vander mentioned new blades. He had given her a set of daggers when they had come to Bosco since they seemed to be her favorite weapon and they were amazing, to get more of them, oh that was all the motivation she needed to last until the end.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Sugar, if you can't last til the end, then you have to answer any questions I ask of you, truthfully, for the length of one playlist, so 20 minutes. Think you can handle that?".

Vander knew he was pushing it, but it was starting to hurt him to see that pained look in her eyes and he wanted to help. Hopefully it would help to make her feel more comfortable and get her to thinking that she could tell him anything.

Nya hesitated at the terms Vander set. Did she really want to run the risk of Vander asking something that she did not want to talk about? There were things that she was hiding that needed to stay hidden to protect everyone. But she also needed the training that she was getting and the addition of more of the shadow made weapons would only help in the long run.

The playlist they were currently using, Vander had said she would not be able to handle either, but she had lasted the whole time, the next one couldn't be that much harder right? They got more intense and involved staying in the air or incorporating their magic into the routines so Nya was sure she could handle it.

"Alright we have a deal and I get to pick the blades you make for me and I want three of them when I'm done with this challenge". Nya was aiming for two short swords and another dagger. Blades were her favorite weapon after all and the ones that Vander made out of his shadows had no compare, they were simply the best.

"Alright Sugar let's begin, you can use the matt, stay in the air, use magic or a combo of the three just no stopping until the playlist is over".

"Damn it, what the Hell was that?" Nya panted as she lay sprawled out on the matt a mere 10 minutes later.

"You ok? Honestly you lasted longer than I thought you would. I thought you'd be down in the first 3 minutes, but you made it halfway through it, I'm impressed".

Vander WAS impressed, very much so. He had had a great deal of fun working on the playlist that he had just stopped. It was seriously hardcore and even pushed him two years after he had made it.

"I wanted to go the whole 20 minutes, doing half is not enough, I need to be stronger damn it!"

"Why" Vander was seriously confused now. He knew Nya worked hard, harder than anyone other than himself really not even his brothers and sister pushed themselves so hard, Kaleb included, but there was no reason for her to do it, at least not that he knew of…yet. He meant to find out though and he had the perfect chance to do just that.

"I…don't want what happened at the orphanage to happen again, I want to be able to protect those I care for" Nya said.

"…Ok…Want to shower before I ask my questions or do you wanna start now?

"I wanna take a shower first". Nya said unhappily.

"Meet up upstairs in 30 minutes?"

"Yea sounds good"

************30 minutes later************

"Lunch is on the table" Vander waved a hand as Nya came up the stairs still not looking happy. "Come on Sugar, you did great and even though you couldn't last the 20 minutes, I'm still gonna move you up to some advanced level workouts. I'll even make you a sword, you need the training".

"Really?!" Nya couldn't keep the eagerness and near desperation out of her voice as she looked at Vander while making a plate for herself.

"Yep, and I'll even take you out on a few missions, it's about time I see how you do so I can make suggestions for Kaleb on your rank when you join White Sea. Who knows Sugar, after a few missions, you may make A-class, and you might even be placed on track to test for S-class if you do really good on the missions"?

"Wait…A-class? I'm not at A-class already? And I thought those workouts, this Warehouse, was for S-class and above? Nya was confused.

"Nope sorry. Your strong, powerful but you had no real training when we first met, so you had no rank. As for the Warehouse, Presca and I use it the most but so does my family, as well as those that Kaleb sends for rank increases but really it's kinda open to all of White Sea. And those workouts are nothing really" Vander shrugged. "The playlist you just went through, that was a normal workout for Presca and I"

Nya's mouth dropped open. "That…that was…a normal…workout…for…for you?

"Yep" Vander just grinned as he lounged on the couch eating.

Nya stood beside the table, staring at Vander. _That was fucking normal", what the Hell, is he some kind of beast, that just can't be normal! How am I supposed to keep up, let alone get to his level? I need to leave! I should never have come here, damn it I should have run after he helped with the children._

Nya was starting to panic a little. Vander was watching her closely, wishing for the hundredth time that he had Kalebs magic, he knew this would not be easy.

Vander stood and moved slowly toward Nya, reaching to take the plate she held and place it on the table and wrap his arms around her. He stood holding Nya for about a minute before she seemed to come back to herself.

"You good?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, it's kinda hard to imagine that as normal"

"You'll be doing them with us soon enough I bet" Vander smiled as he looked down at Nya. "Eat then we can start the questions, and yes at least half of them will be about your lingerie collection" Vander wiggles his eyebrows, grunting as Nya elbowed him in the ribs harder than, in his opinion, was necessary.

"Ass" Nya muttered as she picked up her plate and took it to sit on the couch.

"It's a beautiful ass, you have no idea" Vander teased as he sat on the couch beside Nya.

"You're an idiot is what you are". Nya could only shake her head, after knowing Vander for months now she should have been used to him, but he threw her for a loop constantly. _Does he have to affect me like this? _"So, what's your first question?"

"Isn't it obvious? I wanna know what your favorite color is" Vander grinned at the stunned look on Nya's face.

"THAT'S your first question?" Shocked did not cover how she felt.

Vander waited patiently for his question to be answered, pausing the timer he had set up for shits and giggles.

"It's purple and silver". Vander restarted the timer as Nya answered.

"Nice. Now how many of your bras and panties are purple and silver?

"Why did I agree to this again? Oh, yea I'm an idiot"

"Nope, your Hella smart but I'm too sexy to resist, so here we are. Now answer the question Sugar"

Nya could only sigh and berate herself, she knew this would happen but the desire for more blades had clouded her judgement and she was paying for it.

"A little more than half of my lingerie"

"Sweet! How spicy do you like your food?"

"Vander, you know full well I am not a big fan of spicy food other than the spiced Boscan noodles".

"Yea but you snuck and tried some of my extra spicy ones the other night, right? How did you like them?"

"…I nearly died and will not be stealing any more of your food from now on that's for sure" Nya had no idea that they came extra spicy or that Vander had gotten the noodles that way, but she had paid for it.

"My mouth hurts just thinking about how spicy they were" Nya said as she reached for her drink, not kidding, she thought she could taste the noodles.

Vander almost choked on his food he was laughing so hard at the look on Nya's face. He hadn't thought about the fact that she stole his food sometimes or he would have told her that they were the extra spicy flavor.

"Oh man that is great, so no spicy food for you got it and if I get anything spicy, I'll make sure to tell you so you can keep stealing my food all you want Sugar. Ok moving on" Vander managed to choke out.

"How old are you?"

"…I'm…23"

"When is your birthday?"

"March 23, three weeks from tomorrow"

"Vander what the heck is with these questions, aren't you like a super spy? Why don't you know the answers to these questions already?"

"Just because I'm the most awesome super spy ever to exist, doesn't mean I use those skills to find out everything. It's fun to ask questions instead of interrogate sometimes. Also, I'm older than you by a year…Baby"

"oh. No! you are not calling me baby! Stick with Sugar or I'll find a way to hurt you" Vander just laughed.

"Moving on! Can you dance in heels?"

"…Yes, I can dance in heels Vander"

"Really, that's surprising since I have never seen you in heels"

"Was there a question in there and why the heck did you set up a timer?"

"I was bored and thought it would be fun. Hey! I ask the questions here!"

Nya facepalmed hard, hoping to knock herself out and be done with the insanity that was her life at the moment.

"Ok back to our regularly scheduled program" Vander clapped his hands as he moved to get more to drink, refilling Nya's drink as well.

"Do you have a crush on any of my brothers, sisters or father. OR Presca, Beck, Gina, Rowan…let's just say anyone in White Sea and/or Fairy Tail?"

"WOW" Nya looked at Vander with wide eyes, not sure what to say.

"What? I'm not gonna keep you hidden from everyone forever. Someone is gonna ask you to share pleasure with them, I wanna know if I need to point you in any specific direction?". They were in Bosco and with light colored hair there was no way she would not get propositioned and often. Though why he felt a pain in his chest when he asked, he could not figure out. The thought of her sharing pleasure with anyone made him feel sick. _The Hell is wrong with me?_

"Vander…you do know that I have not met anyone from White Sea other than you and I have not met anyone from Fairy Tail at all right? You HAVE kept me hidden from everyone. I'm not even sure how I'm here in Bosco as it is" Nya said slowly, watching Vander carefully.

"I thought you read the Bosco Weekly? There are articles about my family all the time and Fairy Tail has been in it a few times. Dad and Farron were just interviewed about some new peace treaties they made and Kaleb was interviewed about the Guild Master Games coming up, all of them were on the news"

"I don't really watch the lacrima tv much and I only skimmed the magazine…um…there was a lot of skin and I was…kinda getting…a little…overwhelmed? Nya blushed a little as she avoided eye contact.

"You…got…overwhelmed? Wha…OH! Ha ha ha! You got all worked up looking at the magazines? Sugar you are gonna have to get over that, we Boscans love our bodies and are not afraid to show them off" Vander couldn't help but chuckle. He should have expected that kind of reaction, by the way Nya reacted to his teasing. But he would have to get her use to seeing nearly naked bodies and naked ones, he didn't want her to offend anyone.

"It's not funny Vander! I have never seen so many gorgeous men and women, let along seeing them without much on! It's overwhelming and something I have to get use to. I read the books you gave me on Boscan culture and know that I could offend and hurt someone but damn it I was not expecting that in a magazine!"

"Oh Sugar, there is no need to get upset, I'm sorry I upset you" Vander pulled Nya into his lap and held her.

"I was just teasing you and Bosco does take some adjusting to for those not born here" Nya sighed as she got comfortable leaning back against Vander.

"I know, it's just kinda embarrassing talking about how I got hot and bothered looking at a magazine"

"Have you ever watched porn?"

"Porn? No…I have not…I um want to…but I would have been mortified if my brothers had walked in on my watching it. I think I would have been the first person to die from embarrassment".

Nya didn't realize what she had let slip, but Vander had and was debating on asking about previously unknown brothers now or wait to ask about them after a few more questions.

_No time like the present I say_. Vander thought as he tightened his hold on Nya just in case she tried to bolt.

"So…how many brothers do you have and where are they?" Vander asked as casually and gently as possible.

Nya went still in his arms for a moment, then like he had feared she tried to run but he had a firm hold of her.

"Hold on Sugar, it's ok, your safe"

"Let me go!"

"Not if your gonna run on me, tell me what I did wrong?" Are you hiding from your brothers? Do I need to hunt them down?"

Nya continued to struggle against Vander, thrashing around and trying to break his hold.

"Sugar! Stop! Your gonna hurt yourself". Vander was having a hard time holding her against him without tightening his hold more and risk hurting her, but he knew if he let her go, she would run. She was not thinking clearly and could end up Gods only knew where in her hast to get away. "Please I just want to help! I need to help baby! I can't stand seeing you in pain anymore".

Nya stilled as she felt something wet fall on the side of her face as she tried to twist and froze. She slowly registered what Vander had said. Snapping her head up and looking at him, not quite believing what she was seeing, but there was no mistaking the tears running down his face as he held her.

"Vander…" Nya reached up and wiped the tears from his face, turning into his hold instead of fighting to get out of it. "I'm sorry…I just didn't want anyone to know about them…they are why I push so hard, why I need to be stronger"

"Why?" Vander tilted Nya's chin up more so she could look her in the eyes as he asked. He hoped that she saw that she could trust him, know that he was there to help, be someone that she could lean on.

"They…I…Vander they were taken over 5 years ago and I have been looking for them since. I have not been able to get any real information on them, bits and pieces here and there but nothing concrete. It's one of the reasons I started volunteering at the orphanage. I was starting to lose myself and needed to ground myself and I love children"

Vander sat quietly as Nya spoke, feeling the tears she shed fall on his chest and the pain he felt only increased with each tear shed and each word she spoke. He could almost feel the anguish she must be feeling, the despair and loneness. Vander thought back on how he felt growing up as he was told about Zen who they thought was dead. The pain he felt and saw reflected in his father and Farron's eyes was painful enough and he could not imagine what it would have felt like to have known Zen, grown up with him for a few years and then to have him taken away? It would be Hell and he would move mountains to get him back, it's what they had done as soon as they learned Zen was alive.

Vander looked at Nya as he leaned over her slightly, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Well there is only one thing to do then Sugar. Let's get your brothers back" Vander whispered in her ear.

Nya looked up at Vander. In the back of her mind she knew he would help her and she knew all she had to do was ask or even hint that she needed people found and he would be there. But she just didn't trust anyone, it was hard to trust her brothers sometimes, but considering what she had been through it wasn't surprising. _If I can trust him with this secret, can I trust him with the other?_

"Thank you…Vander…I knew I only had to ask for your help and you would help me find them, but I couldn't bring myself to trust you, until now. I'm going to put my trust in you…I hope I'm not…"

Vander placed a finger on Nya's lips to stop her, "You can trust me Nya. I'll show you that trusting me is not wrong".

Nya smiled at him and he could not think of a time that he was happier.


End file.
